FLUSHING, NY – The William Spyropoulos Greek-American Day School of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Flushing, NY, began the new academic year with optimism as the number of enrolled students continues steady and indeed with an upward trend.

“The start of the school year has been very nice and is very positive,” Principal Mary Tzallas told The National Herald. “The children come with great enthusiasm, the classes are good and our school is in very good condition. We have more children than we had last year, the number is going up, and the data is very good. We have many plans, many dreams and we are waiting for each holiday, each day to come, so that we can teach our children what the school promises, not only academics, but also religion, culture, and everything else Greek.”

It is estimated that this year’s student population, from Kindergarten up to the eighth grade, exceeds 440 children, while the number of students who will graduate in the Class of 2025 exceeds 40. All this, in a period in which the dynamics – but also the sustainability in general – of the day schools of the Greek-American diaspora are a matter of discussion.

“All our schools have an increased number in student enrollments, compared to previous years,” His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America told TNH. “I think the moment is very appropriate to persist and promote even more in all the schools – where there are Greek schools – but also in the communities where they have not yet opened a school, to encourage and strengthen them.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros presided over the annual blessing for the new academic year at St. Nicholas in Flushing on September 18, and also presided over the school blessings at the Zoodohos Peghe community in the Bronx and at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan.

Presiding priest of the St. Nicholas Flushing community Fr. Paul Palesty pointed out that, even in a school with a sufficient number of enrollments, such as the William Spyropoulos School, there will always be challenges, given that the only stable and reliable income, beyond the contributions and financial assistance of the community, is the tuition fees.

“It is difficult, very difficult, because first of all it is a community that financially supports the school,” Fr. Palesty noted. “It is the community of St. Nicholas that supports the school. Tuition partially covers the teachers’ pay, but there are other costs as well. There is insurance, there is electricity, there is a lot. All of this is covered by the community. It is difficult, but thank God, so far we are succeeding and we also have a vision for the future.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros also sent a message to the communities and all the agencies involved not to treat the promotion of Greek education as an “expense,” noting that it should be prioritized.

“My message to all communities is that promoting all the elements that make up our identity is an existential issue for us,” His Eminence said. “It is not a luxury, it is not an expense that we should not undertake and we should not regret the money we spend on our Greek education and culture.”

“They are things that are an integral part of our culture and without them we do not exist, and if we do exist, we have no identity. And we have to understand this very well,” concluded Archbishop Elpidophoros.